I am so incredibly torn about how I feel about the team, Franklin, the QB situation… really everything this year. On one hand, I am frustrated… on the other I wonder if the path the team is taking is right way to go. In past posts I’ve made in this thread, I have been on both sides of coin on several topics. Should someone label me a hypocrite I could not defend it. I can’t even make up my mind now.
The frustrated me: why is Clifford our QB? Tommy Stevens could have been named our QB but Franklin left the position up for competition and Stevens transferred. So we end up with Clifford and Levis. Clifford wins the job, but it’s a close competition. Clifford comes out and plays… meh. Anyone that sees Levis can tell he is a physical beast and has a cannon. PSU never really gives him a legit shot to start and when they do start him they use him as a battering ram up the middle so he transfers. We end up with Clifford…yay. I think it’s possible Stevens could have been a better option compared to Clifford and I wanted to see Levis take over the starting spot when he was still here. Now Levis is being talked about as the top 2 or 3 prospects in the NFL draft while I honestly don’t think anyone is even going to take a ‘flyer’ on Clifford. So Franklin being ridiculously loyal to Clifford potentially cost us from having a guy with top 3 NFL draft talent. Then they ask Clifford to come back for his final year of eligibility??? Why??? I was so frustrated. I mean, this guy is not getting better. And again, we are potentially NOT playing a top NFL prospect of Drew Allar because we are rolling with the Big Red Dog. Crazy. But hey, that’s where we are as a team.
I keep wondering why? Why? Why? Why? Why so loyal to this QB? I think it’s great that he works so hard, and he is such a ‘leader’. Great! I don’t think it’s great that he doesn’t beat good teams, and sometimes looses to bad ones. And throws a lot of pics.
The cautiously optimistic me: We dealt with some weird stuff over the past few years. I feel like Franklin took COVID precautions extremely serious due to his family situation while a lot of other schools maybe weren’t as strict with practices. I think our COVID years were a mess, and that may have been a factor. We also dealt with Moorehead leaving, Ciarrocca for 1 year, then a switch to Yurchich. And the team did not look great during this time period, but is it fair to put all of that on the QB? Probably not. So let’s take a non-emotional assessment of how this year could end up.
There is a chance that PSU will beat every team we are supposed to beat. And you might even say that having an experienced QB plays a factor in this. That will be an improvement over years past. There was ALWAYS a game where PSU had a let down against a team they are supposed to beat. And that could still happen, but If PSU avoids it this year, that is a big accomplishment. If the only games they lose are Michigan and OSU those are teams ranked above PSU and contenders for the NCAA championship. It means we are knocking on the door. It means 10 wins, which is great.
I absolutely hate the “wait till next year” fans, but I can’t help thinking that way. There is no possible way Clifford will be back and playing on the field next year. I am so incredibly excited about this single fact. It appears that Drew Aller has the job unless something unexpected happens. Since PSU was able to get some good leads in games, Aller is getting significant reps this year. He may even get a few starts?
So next year… yeah, I’m that guy now. We could be going into next year with a top future NFL prospect behind center playing for a team that only lost to the top 2 teams in the Big10 the prior year. It’s been ugly at times, but that is a much better place than a lot of Big 10 teams are in right now. PSU also has 2 legit top NFL prospects at RB as well. And I haven’t even mentioned defense, because for the most part they have been solid. I think they got run off the field at Michigan because they were literally on the field so long they finally just got worn out and broke down. But they have played well and are only getting better all year. Abdul Carter… wow. So yeah, I just don’t know how to feel really. It’s like, I’m incredibly irritated about the past, someone neutral about the present, and excited about the future. And I absolutely can’t wait to see Drew Aller in 2023!
